For March Madness in 2021, The Michigan Daily has paired up with more than 20 collegiate newspapers across the country to participate in College Media Madness, a fundraising opportunity for student journalism. The Daily’s Sports section covers every single varsity sport at the University of Michigan. In order to cover 29 varsity sports teams all across the country while maintaining a full-time student status at the University, the Sports section relies on donations to The Daily. Read here for further information on the state of The Daily and College Media Madness and please consider donating here to support our newsroom.
Read the latest coverage of March Madness here:
Pre-Sweet Sixteen:
March 26 — Hailey Brown’s sacrifices and a historic first. Hailey Brown almost opted out of this season, a trip across the border back to Michigan would mean she couldn’t go back to Canada due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. Here are the sacrifices she’s made and how that has brought the Wolverines to this point.
March 26 — Howard to face off against mentor Hamilton in Sweet Sixteen
“He represents all the qualities that I think the people at Michigan can be very proud of. And I think they need to sit back, relax and enjoy the ride because he’s going to take them to maybe even higher than some of those places that Michigan basketball has been in the past.”
Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton
March 26 — Behind Enemy Lines: Florida State. To learn more about this year’s iteration of the Seminoles and which team might have the upper hand come Sunday afternoon and move one step closer to the Final Four, The Daily spoke with Curt Weiler, who covers the team for the Tallahassee Democrat.
March 25 — What first Sweet 16 means to Michigan. The Wolverines have never been here before. A second weekend was unheard of, and here’s what the team has to say about the historic moment.
March 24 — Highway to Hail: How sweet it is. Following Michigan’s comeback victory over LSU, the men’s basketball writers join Highway to Hail to discuss the win and preview the upcoming Sweet Sixteen game against Florida State.
March 24 — At last, Chaundee Brown lives out his dream. If Chaundee Brown Jr. has a trademark, it’s his smile. Former Wake Forest assistant coach Steve Woodberry calls it infectious. According to senior guard Eli Brooks the smile, compounded with Brown’s energy, “goes a long way for the team.”
Round of 32
March 24 — Michigan’s defense propelled it to victory over high-powered Tennessee. Against a high-powered SEC offense, Michigan’s defense held down the guard play of Tennessee and stymied the post play.
March 24 — Danielle Rauch’s energy propels Michigan to victory. Junior guard Danielle Rauch has seen spotty minutes the past few weeks, but with Amy Dilk out, she made the most of her opportunity against the Lady Vols.
March 23 — Michigan upsets Tennessee, makes Sweet Sixteen for first time in history: Michigan fought a tough battle with Tennessee to move on to the first Sweet Sixteen in history.
Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos
March 23 — Brooks keys Wolverines’ win over LSU. Eli Brooks stepped onto the court and nailed a three. Over and over again the senior guard proved his metal, keeping Michigan in the game and propelling them to a win.
March 23 — Michigan to face 3rd-seeded Tennessee in round of 32. The Wolverines will face 3-seed Tennessee in the round of 32 with hopes of advancing to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in program history. Read everything you need to know here.
March 23 — Wolverines manage to withstand runs in back-and-forth affair. The men’s basketball team’s tight contest with LSU was a game of runs up until the last four minutes. And the Wolverines were able to hold down the potent Tiger offense to hang in until the end.
March 23 — Jacob Cohen: The NCAA’s excuses don’t add up. The NCAA’s explanations and excuses for the discrepancies between the men’s and women’s tournaments don’t make sense and aren’t viable.
March 22 — Michigan survives LSU, punches ticket to Sweet Sixteen: Michigan survived a tight battle with 8-seeded LSU to make it to the fourth Sweet Sixteen in a row.
Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty Images
March 21 — Wagner ready for tough defensive matchup vs. LSU. On Monday night, the Michigan men’s basketball team will take on a Louisiana State squad that ranks fifth in the nation in scoring. While the game will likely be a high-scoring battle, Michigan coach Juwan Howard is focused on the team’s defensive efforts, particularly how sophomore wing Franz Wagner can hold the Tigers back.
March 21 — In Michigan-LSU, frontcourt chess-match set to take centerstage. In Monday’s game, freshman center Hunter Dickinson will pose a hefty mismatch for an undersized LSU frontcourt. The Tigers hope to quell him with 6-foot-7 forward Darius Days. Dickinson has other plans.
Round of 64
March 21 — Michigan blows past Florida Gulf Coast, 87-66: With strong 3-point shooting and a series of 8-0 runs, the Michigan women’s basketball team blew past Florida Gulf Coast, 87-66, in its opening game of the tournament.
Julia Schachinger/Daily Buy this photo.
March 21 — Brown’s third quarter performance propels Michigan to win. Coming out of the locker room, Leigha Brown found her rhythm, knocking down 19 points in the third quarter’s of Michigan’s 87-66 tournament-opening victory over No. 11 Florida Gulf Coast.
March 21 — Michigan flips the script on Florida Gulf Coast with impressive 3-point performance. Against Florida Gulf Coast, who leads the country in3-point field goal attempts, the Wolverines shot more than 40% from beyond the arc, holding the Eagles to 9-for-29.
March 21 — SportsMonday Column: Michigan says it’s adjusted without Isaiah Livers. Whether they’re right will determine when the season ends. After one of the most storied seasons in Michigan basketball history, Isaiah Livers will be absent in the final match-ups. Whether or not the Wolverines are able to adapt will make all the difference.
March 21 — Abbie Telgenhof: The NCAA Tournament’s inequality shows that we can’t stop caring. On Thursday and Friday, the obvious discrepancies between the amenities given to the men and the women in the NCAA Tournament came to light. The weight room, the gift bags, the food and even the COVID-19 testing were all different, and obviously less-than. Now, as both tournaments are under way, we can’t forget about these incidents.
March 20 — Michigan finishes off Texas Southern to advance to Round of 32: The men’s basketball team cruised past an outmatched Texas Southern team, coming out aggressive and not letting up.
Andy Hancock/NCAA Photos via Getty Images
March 20 — Howard tests out extended rotation in blowout win. Following forward Isaiah Livers’ injury, Juwan Howard used the first game of the NCAA Tournament to test out an extended lineup. Featuring freshmen Zeb Jackson and Terrance Williams, who played a combined 19 minutes, the pair’s contributions to the court will be critical to future success.
March 20 — Smith thrives in first NCAA Tournament game of career. Guard Mike Smith spent four years watching the NCAA Tournament on his couch. Finally in the Big Dance, he powered the Wolverines past Texas Southern with 18 points, five assists and four rebounds.
Pre Tournament:
March 19 — How a summer transformation geared Hunter Dickinson for March. As the NCAA Tournament looms for the men’s basketball team, Hunter Dickinson is ready. And it’s all because of his summer transformation. The workouts, the conditioning and the work ethic primed Dickinson to be the monster he is on the court.
March 19 — Michigan’s path to tournament success. The Michigan women’s basketball team has a chance to make history one more time this season. In its way stands Florida Gulf Coast and Tennessee. What needs to happen for the Wolverines to end their season with history?
March 18 — Dickinson adjusting to unconventional NCAA Tournament. On Monday, freshman center Hunter Dickinson posted a photo of his breakfast:a measly pile of scrambled eggs, three slices of bacon and a seemingly lukewarm batch of breakfast potatoes. The now-infamous photo shows a glimpse of what life inside the NCAA Bubble is like, and how Dickinson and the rest of the team need to “embrace the suck,” as coach Juwan Howard put it.
March 18 — Behind the scenes, scout team ignites Wolverines. The day before every game, Michigan’s scout team emulates the opponent that the Wolverines are set to play. On the process, players and coaches that make up the scout team and how it is crucial to the success of putting Michigan in the position it is.
March 18 — College Basketball Players voice frustrations before NCAA Tournament. Wednesday, three days before it would play its first game, Michigan’s recently-injured star Isaiah Livers went to Twitter to post “I am #NotNCAAProperty.” Among other of the nation’s top stars, Livers and company voice their frustrations over a system that profits off the backs of amateur athletes and their fight for name, image and likeness.
March 16 — Highway to Hail: Let’s Dance. Men’s basketball writers join Highway to Hail to preview Michigan’s fate in the upcoming NCAA Tournament and give their Final Four picks.
March 16 — What to watch for: Michigan vs. Florida Gulf Coast. In its first matchup of the tournament, 6-seed Michigan women’s basketball faces off against 11-seed Florida Gulf Coast. The Wolverines will face an opponent that averages 11.7 3-pointers a game and plays five guards, leaving the room open for junior forward Naz Hillmon to dominate. Still, 3-point defense has been an achilles heel for Michigan. So, what will decide the matchup?
March 15 — Daily beat writers predict Michigan’s NCAA Tournament fate. The men’s basketball team comes into the postseason looking as mortal as it has all season. A 1-seed, Michigan cruised to its first Big Ten Regular Season Championship, but now they go into the postseason without its most crucial player, Isaiah Livers. How does that change the outlook?
March 15 — Michigan earns first No. 6 seed in program history. This has been a season of firsts and bests for the Michigan women’s basketball team. A school record 50 points from Naz Hillmon and a highest-ever ranking in the AP Poll were joined with the highest seed the Wolverines have ever had for the NCAA Tournament.
March 14 — SportsMonday: The NCAA Tournament starts in four days. That makes no sense. Kansas dropped out of the Big 12 Tournament. Virginia dropped out of the ACC Tournament. With days to spare before the NCAA Tournament starts, the ramifications could be huge. Not to mention that COVID-19 often takes days to show up on tests. All this leads to the question: Why not postpone it?
March 12 — On the Michigan sideline, Jaaron Simmons finds a home. A transfer player on the 2018 Final Four run, Jaaron Simmons joined the coaching staff as a graduate assistant. Now, he’s in his second season as the video analyst and is coming into his own on the sideline.
March 8 — Through Saddi Washington, Michigan bridges its past to its future. The lone holdover from the John Beilein era, Saddi Washington stayed at Michigan to help see it through. It’s a part of who he is, from watching over former players as they transition to the pros and overseas leagues to helping his students with academics.
** This list will be updated as the tournament progresses.